While the restriction of the ‘self-declaration certificate’ (SDC) to only two sectors- health and food, annually is said to reduce the bureaucratic work, it has now raised concerns whether such a mechanism be enough to curb misleading ads in the country.
Consider this: Healthcare, illegal betting apps, personal care, traditional education and food & beverage emerged as the top five violative categories, according to the Annual Complaints Report FY24 released by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
“What the industry needs are some simple prerequisites that enable a declaration at a campaign level that covers all media assets within that campaign This would lessen the burden on a per-asset requirement and solve the inadequacy of an annual declaration. Also, the rules should apply to all advertising categories with budgets over a set threshold,” says Andy Gilroy, VP – APAC, Peach.
Peach is one of the first ad-tech platforms in the country that came forward to help advertisers and agencies navigate the mechanism through its AI-based offerings. Peach delivers ad content to 140-plus countries across the world- some of which have the strictest regulations regarding what can and cannot be said within the content of an ad.
Read more: Agencies launch AI tools to help advertisers navigate ‘self-declaration certificate’ mechanism
With the recent amendments to the SDC mandate, Gilroy isn’t sure how one declaration can cover all variable content for 12 months effectively.
He further talks about Peach’s growing gamut of offerings which covers creative asset management for the digital, social and OTT space, and the growing need for tools to effectively utilise the advertising monies.
Edited excerpts:
Platforms such as Peach were quick to grab the opportunity to launch AI-based offerings to help advertisers navigate the SDC mechanism- which now is restricted to only two sectors and turned into an annual mandate. How does it impact your offerings, were you too quick to jump on the bandwagon?
As an ad tech provider, Peach works with brands and agencies to overcome workflow challenges in the ad content management space. Our solution regarding SDCs is platform-based. We have been working in various countries to help the advertising industry to streamline their asset workflow, and often, this also includes government / industry compliance.
Since a mandate like this caused such a stir, I think it is the right time that the industry takes a good look at their workflow systems. In the ever-evolving environment in which we operate, it should be obvious that mechanisms for creative asset management used over a decade ago will no longer suffice.
While our platform was ready to offer a solution to the SDC issue immediately because of our experience in other countries, we have been working with many of the large agencies and brands in India since 2010 and had to simply add a pre-existing extension to their interface. In the current state of the mandate, I don’t see any impact on the way agencies operate or in their offerings. An annual SDC, once applied for, will probably have to be sent with each creative. We are still here to help with that.
The agencies did not respond to this news without thinking. While most waited for clarity, a few agencies realised that any shock to the system could affect them negatively, and sought our help to streamline their workflow.
How do you look at the mechanism, especially after it has been restricted to an annual certificate?
Peach delivers ad content to 140-plus countries across the world. Some of these countries have the strictest regulations regarding what can and cannot be said within the content of an ad. In a lot of markets each ad has to be individually cleared for broadcast by an independent body. This obviously creates a layer of bureaucracy but it also creates a layer of trust, safety, and credibility around the claims of advertisers. This in turn creates a value layer for the industry.
I think it’s a step in the right direction for India but for two categories and annually I don’t see how that provides any value and governance.
So such a mechanism certainly not enough to curb misleading advertisements?
I don’t think so. We are now in a world where we have to question everything we see and hear because of AI. The truth has never been more important to protect. There needs to be a level playing field with accountability for what is contained within advertising content. I am not sure how one declaration can cover all variable content for 12 months effectively.
I think the time frame in which the new guidelines were delivered to the industry rightly caused concern and shock leading to a pullback. However, long-term accountability leads to a more responsible industry where there are consequences for those who do the wrong thing. False claims can lead to very serious outcomes for consumers as well as erode the trust in advertising as a whole.
What the industry needs are some simple prerequisites that enable a declaration at a campaign level that covers all media assets within that campaign This would lessen the burden on a per-asset requirement and solve the inadequacy of an annual declaration. Also, the rules should apply to all advertising categories with budgets over a set threshold.
Let’s talk about Peach. How has the platform been growing in India, especially in the creative asset management space?
Peach started out in India as Ebus and completely changed the landscape of creative asset management. At a time when Beta tapes were the standard form of delivering advertisements to broadcasters, Peach introduced a platform that delivered ad content via the cloud. This was done after an automated quality check made sure the ad fit the exact requirement of each broadcaster and sent it directly to them.
We have now begun integrations with many broadcasters to streamline the asset management process at their end, reducing the need for human intervention and errors in playout, based on their individual traffic systems.
As Peach has evolved, we increased the number of services provided in India to match our global clientele. We now also offer creative asset management for the digital, social and OTT space. A space that we believe far outpaces the linear market and has much more complexity in workflows.
Peach also works with influencers. How do you see the influencer marketing space evolving in India? A lot of concerns have lately been raised around the authenticity of the influencers- do you think it has become a key parameter for brand collaborations?
I think what we have found from advertisers in different markets around the world is that they are facing challenges in regards to their ability to control content. From which platform content is served on to performance measurement to brand safety.
The investment levels of Influencer marketing are set to deliver strong growth. With that will come a greater requirement for control and accountability. The industry needs to provide tools that marketers can use to ensure such large budgets are spent and trafficked correctly.